FBI release –
The joint investigation in Randolph County began on January 17, 2023. Someone fired multiple gunshots at an EnergyUnited substation located in Thomasville, North Carolina. The FBI is now offering a reward of up to $25,000 for the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the shooting. Anyone with information should call the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office at 336-318-6685, or contact the FBI at 1-800- CALL FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
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On January 17, 2023, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to a vandalism call at a power substation on Post Road, Thomasville, in Randolph County. The reporting person, a representative of EnergyUnited, advised the company received an alarm at the substation and upon inspection, found and reported the damage.
Criminal Investigations and Crime Scene Investigators responded to the scene to investigate and collect evidence at the site. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) were also notified. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force responded to conduct a parallel investigation.
Investigators recovered evidence from the scene and canvassed the surrounding areas gathering additional information. Based on information gathered, investigators believe the incident occurred around 3:00 a.m. The investigation is ongoing.
EnergyUnited reports that the area of service from the effected substation includes Trinity, Thomasville and areas of Davidson County south of Thomasville. The Randolph County Board of Commissioners, County Manager’s Office and Davidson County Sheriff’s Office were therefore contacted for emergency planning in the event of an outage in that area.
Anyone with information regarding this incident, please contact the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations at 336-318-6658 or Randolph County Crime Stoppers tip line at 336-672-7463. Anonymous tips may also be submitted via the Sheriff’s Office app or Crime Stoppers app. (Information about those apps are available on the Sheriff’s Office website.)
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ENERGYUNITED RESPONDS TO DAMAGE AT PLEASANT HILL SUBSTATION STATESVILLE, N.C. – EnergyUnited officials responded to an alarm that notified personnel of an equipment issue at its Pleasant Hill Substation early Tuesday morning. Crews were dispatched to assess the situation and discovered damage to the substation transformer from an apparent gunshot. The damage was quickly assessed and contained to mitigate the impact to members in the Pleasant Hill area and law enforcement officials were notified. EnergyUnited members who are served by this substation did not experience an outage as a result of the cooperative’s swift response. “EnergyUnited continually strives to deliver safe, reliable energy to its members,” said Steve McCachern, vice president of energy delivery for EnergyUnited. “While we are glad that our members did not experience any service interruptions, we take this matter very seriously and are currently investigating the incident.” Staying ahead of any challenge is a collaborative effort. EnergyUnited is collaborating with electric cooperatives, industry partners, peer organizations, as well as federal, state, and local officials to share information that improves member service and strengthens critical systems. Additionally, EnergyUnited encourages community members to share information with the cooperative and local officials whenever suspicious activity is observed near any of its substations or facilities. 
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"The FBI is working with the Randolph County Sheriff's Office to investigate after gunfire damaged an EnergyUnited substation on January 17, 2023. At this time, it is too early in the investigation to determine whether this case is connected to the ongoing investigation in Moore County." -FBI Charlotte Division
FBI tip line 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324)